The present invention concerns a method for the production of fat-containing, chocolate-like masses, in particular for chocolate articles, by which an amount of liquid mass is deposited into a mould cavity, whereafter an associated core member is immersed into the mass, the temperature of which core member is being controlled.
Methods of the above mentioned types as well as associated apparatus are to-day well-known within the prior art, and are being used extensively by the chocolate making industry.
EP 0 589 820 A1 (AASTED-MIKROVERK APS) describes the first commercially available method and associated apparatus of the introductory type for industrial use. It relates to a method, where the chocolate-like mass under crystallisation solidifies from the mould cavity and inwardly to form the outer shape of the shell, the temperature of the mould cavity being lower than the temperature of the tempered mass, that a cooling member having a temperature lower than 0xc2x0 C. is immersed into the mass and kept in the mass in a fully immersed position for a predetermined period of time. The cooling member is furthermore immersed immediately into the mass after this has been filled into the mould cavity. The associated apparatus furthermore comprises means of controlling the up- and down movement of the cooling members, as well as controlling residence times in the fully immersed position. However, by this early teaching within the technical field of the present invention the chocolate-mass is filled into the mould cavity in an amount, which is typically about 10% larger than the volume of the finished chocolate-shell. The early EP-publication teaches no means for enclosing the mould cavity at the rim of the shell, and consequently the mass rises pressureless above the upper surface of the mould plate, when a cooling member is being immersed to the fully immersed position. The teaching describes no means for enclosing the mould cavity fully, nor for building up pressure in the chocolate-mass during moulding.
Generally within the present field, chocolate-like masses are suspensions of non-fat particles, such as sugar, milk powders and cocoa solids in a liquid fat phase. The fat phase in most cases comprises an extent of the genuin cocoa butter of until around 30%, but may comprise substitutes as well. Such substitutes may be in the form of other types of fat-containing oils. Chocolate-like masses where the cocoa butter has been replaced wholely or partly by other fats, are often named commercially as compound chocolate, in which the cocoa butter has been replaced by palm-kernel oil, are corresponding oils.
In the subsequent treatment of the ready-finished shell, the shell is frequently provided with a center mass of a creamy or liquid food material, which differs from that of the shell. Thereafter the shell is closed either with other shell parts along the periphery of the shell or by means of a coating.
Furthermore it is possible to join a produced shell with other types of shells immediately after being moulded, so that the finished food article being present as a hollow body e.g. in the form of eggs or figures, such as pixies and the like.
Furthermore it should be mentioned, that manufactured shells do not have to consist of just one layer of material but may e.g. consist of several layers of chocolate-like material. For example one shell made of dark chocolate may be provided with an interior coating of white chocolate (or vice versa) by the same method and system even before the shell moulded first leaves the mould cavity.
The chocolate-like masses are deposited into the mould cavity in a tempered liquid state. For several decades the technique of providing tempered chocolate-like masses has been well-known to the persons skilled within the art of chocolate-making. Chocolate-like mass being heated to 40-50xc2x0 C. enters the process of tempering in which the mass in cooled down to around 27-32xc2x0 C., whereby crystallisation is initiated. Thereafter, the chocolate-like mass is re-heated, normally not more than 2xc2x0 C. providing the ready-tempered chocolate-like mass with a content of stable xcex2 crystals in an amount lesser than 5%. Thereby lower melting crystals are remelted, so that only stable crystals remain in the ready-tempered mass. Such a process is for example performed by the AMK-tempering machines provided by Aasted-Mikroverk ApS, Denmark.
The quality of the ready-moulded chocolate shells has always been determined firstly by the state of the tempered chocolate mass. The skilled person knew that good flavour and mouth feeling chocolate, high gloss, high resistance to fat bloom as well as enhanced resistance to warm or heat was the consequence of the optimum tempering state, in which the liquid chocolate comprises only stable xcex2 crystals, especially small crystals before being deposited into the mould. However, before the invention of EP 0 589 820 B1 (AASTED-MIKROVERK APS), the skilled person thought that the setting of the deposited chocolate in the mould should be gentle and time consuming to an extent of often xc2xd-1 hour before the moulded shell could be released from the mould cavity. By the invention of EP 0 589 820 B1 this prejudice was turned upside down, thereby discovering a method by which the deposited tempered chocolate was set rapidly e.g. typically within 10 seconds providing tremendous fast production rates for chocolate making industry.
WO 95/32633 (AASTED-MIKROVERK APS) describes a method and a system of the introductory art, by which an engagement ring is mounted peripherally around the cooling member by a press-fit or by threaded engagement. The engagement ring comprises at least one peripherally extending recess defining the moulded shell rim. By depositing larger amounts of tempered chocolate-like mass into the mould cavity than the closed shell volume being available when the cooling member is immersed into the lower position, liquid mass will escape at the upper surface of the mould cavity element before the ring engages that surface. Consequently, the upper surface of the mould cavity element will be contaminated with chocolate. Furthermore it is not possible to build up any pressure in the mass during moulding. The teaching furthermore discloses, that the engagement ring may be mounted axially spring-loaded by means of a rubber insert, so that when complete filling of the shell reception volume is desired, the axial travel of the engagement ring will compensate for inaccuracies in the dosing of predetermined amount of chocolate-like mass.
However, for this teaching the actual height of the moulded shell in question will depend upon the specific amount of chocolate being deposited for moulding that article in question. Consequently the heights of the article could not be constant and will vary from article to article depending upon variations in mass amount being deposited from article to article. Furthermore no recognition is given for providing pressure build-up during moulding of the article.
DE 122 020 (RIECKE) discloses a method for the production of shells of chocolate-like masses by which an amount of liquid mass is deposited into a mould cavity, whereafter an associated core member is immersed into the mass. A ring element closes the mould cavity upwardly and constitutes a guidance for the core member. By the disclosure, the core member comprises upper peripherally extending and protruding engagement parts, which in the immersed position of the core member engage the upper surface of the ring element. By reaching that lower immersed position the liquid chocolate will consequently be squeezed out through slots between the tool parts, and in fact no pressure build-up in the mass is possible nor could be be controlled, when the core member has reached the lower position, where it stops. Furthermore the disclosure does not give any hint to a temperature control of the core member. Therefore by the DE teaching it is not possible to compensate for varying amounts of deposited mass and at the same time keeping the height of each moulded article constant, as well as being able to control pressure build-up in the mass.
By the method of the present invention, the temperature of the core member is being controlled, a mould cavity closure means, extending peripherally around the core member is further being moved unto closure engagement with the mould, which closure means is axially movable in relation to the core member, whereafter the core member is being immersed even further into the mass to achieve complete filling of the enclosed mould cavity with mass in a fully immersed position, thereby building up pressure in the mass by pressing the core member in direction against the mould cavity.
By the closure engagement of the mould cavity closure means with the mould it is secured that every moulded article has exactly the same height. Furthermore the core member is free to take in every possibly position whatever the deposited amount of chocolate-like mass may be. If the deposited amount of chocolate mass is smaller than intended, the core member will simply travel slightly further down towards the mould cavity, until complete filling of the enclosed mould cavity is obtained, the only consequence being that especially the bottom part of the article will be slightly thinner than intended. If, on the other hand, a larger amount of chocolate-like mass is deposited into the mould cavity, the travel of the core member towards the mould cavity will be lesser, so that especially the bottom part of the article will be slightly thicker than intended. By the unobstructed travel of the core member it is possible to secure pressure build-up in each article moulded, yet with the same constant height and at the same time obtaining complete filling of the mould cavity with mass.
Hereby unforeseen uniform appearance as well as homogeneous mass consistence is obtained. The density of the moulded mass material is furthermore much more uniform as by prior methods, whatever the part or geometry of the article may be. In other words every article produced has an optimal quality and properties as desired. Consequently, the waste percentage is vanishing.
The invention furthermore concerns a system for performing a method in which the system furthermore comprises the arrangement of load means adapted to press the core member in direction against the mould member to achieve pressure build-up in the mass.
According to the invention, the core member may advantageously be pressed in direction against the mould cavity with a pressure force of a predetermined value. By moulding each article with the same predetermined value one may be confident, that the quality and properties of each moulded article is as close as possible to what is desired.
The pressure force transmitted to the mass being moulded may extend to as high as 100xc3x97105 N/m2. It has been obtained, that by raising the pressure force enhance gloss, as well as improved hardness and resistance to fat bloom is obtained for the articles. Generally without taking the type of mass into account.